This week it was reported that Target Corp. was angry with Procter & Gamble because Amazon was shipping Pampers and Tide from inside a P&G warehouse. In other words, P&G has in some sense “partnered” with Amazon.    

Both Target and Amazon have invested heavily in their visions of the future, but they are very different visions. Target has invested in building brick and mortar stores. Amazon has invested in technology. This old technology vs. new technology debate has become one of the central questions that merchants have to wrestle with.

Here at Braxton-Bragg, we think that business-to-business selling is more likely to follow the Amazon model than the Target model. So this is where we have been investing for the future:

Websites: www.braxton-bragg.com, www.slipperyrockgazette.net and www.consumerstonecare.com  

We have invested the last five years and a considerable amount of money to build easy to use and informative websites. If you are not already a fan, take a look. I urge you to spend some time on these sites.

I-Pad App: We expect to submit an I-Pad App to Apple for their review and approval in late April. It is our hope that it will pass through their process and be available in early summer.  This is a full function, transaction app. We will provide more information as the release date approaches. 

Internal Systems: We implemented a new internal computer system in 2010 which enables us to ship UPS-size orders received by 5:45 pm (EST) the same day and those orders are delivered in two days or less in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Time sensitive products such as Lavina tooling, WerkMaster™ tooling and Viper CNC tooling ship free, with next day delivery.  All UPS orders of $250 or more qualify for free shipping. The shipping operation has become so cost-effective that we were able to stop passing along HAZMAT fees.   

New Products: We were the first to introduce wet and dry 3-step pads for granite, dry polishing pads for marble, and a white, 4-step pad for engineered stone. Under licensing agreements we produce the I-Brace, Raptor Rail Saw, and the Predator Stone Router. The Hercules Sink Harness is now the best-selling mechanical sink mounting device in the market.

Competing visions of the future have fueled progress for many years. It should prove interesting to see how this debate finally turns out.

Have a good read,

Rich Hassert

Email responses to: publisher@slipperyrockgazette.net